About JLPT

The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) (日本語能力試験 nihongo nōryoku shiken) was set up in 1984 in response to the increasing demand of students of the Japanese language to certify their proficiency. There are four levels of proficiency offered ranging from level 1 (native speaker) to level 4 (beginner).

In Japan, the test is administered by the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services (JEES) (財団法人 日本国際教育支援協会 zaidan hōjin nihon kokusai kyōiku shien kyōkai) while the Japan Foundation (独立行政法人 国際交流基金 dokuritsu gyōsei hōjin kokusai kōryū kikin) administers overseas (outside Japan) tests.

At the time of writing, the JLPT is offered in 92 cities in 40 countries around the world (Japan included). Three new cities have been added to the list from Songkhla, Thailand; Warszawa (Warsaw), Poland; and Bucharest, Romania.

Application

The JLPT tests are held once a year in December and you may sit only one test each year. The test date for 2004 is on 5th December and the application period is usually from July-September.

If you are interested in applying for the JLPT test (for 2005), you should check the List of local host institutions of JLPT website for your nearest test centre. Also ask about the application period and application fee as they differ in each country.

Criteria

Important note to students wishing to study in Japanese universities:

To study or work in Japan, a certification in 2kyū is required. The JLPT certification was a requirement for entry into Japanese universities until 2003. The Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) replaces JLPT as the requirement for university entry in Japan. More on this will be written on a seperate page.

The table below is a quick look at the criteria for each level. The last column lists the number of applicants and the percentage that passed in last year's test (2003).